The Red Wings defeated Phoenix 6-3 tonight, eliminating them in four straight games. The game was tied 3-3 late in the third period when Dan Cleary banked a shot off of Ilya Bryzgalov leg to put the Wings up. Minutes later, Todd Bertuzzi threw the puck out front and had it bank off David Schlemko’s skate and into the net to make it 5-3.

The Wings can now be certain that they will have at least a week off before playing again, which comes as good news to the injured Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen.

Nothing can really be made certain until we hear more from the league, but speculation suggests that we have just witnessed the last game of the Phoenix Coyotes. I’m going to come back tomorrow with the top moments and players in the history of the Coyotes.

So I do a little opinion piece on Franzen over Hossa earlier today and of course, that jinxes him to be a late scratch for tonight’s game. I’m sure he would be playing if the Wings weren’t up 3-0 right now, but any kind of injury for the Wings at this point is worrisome.

Poor Shane Doan. Tonight could be the second time that the Red Wings force his team to play their last game in town.

Back in 1995, the Wings eliminated the Winnipeg Jets and a very young Shane Doan from the postseason in what was the last game ever played by the Jets.

The difference back then was that everyone knew that the Jets were going to be on the move. This time around, everything is in question. No one knows if they will be back, or if they’ll, or even if they’ll move to Winnipeg or not. Of course the rumours are heavily in favour of the Coyotes becoming the Jets once again, but that has nor been confirmed or denied by the league.

A few weeks ago, I found myself thinking that I sometimes wish that the Wings had held onto Marian Hossa and let Johan Franzen walk in the 2009 offseason. Of course, the Wings re-signed Franzen to a massive extension and that, combined with Henrik Zetterberg’s extension, made it impossible for them to keep Hossa. Hossa then went onto sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and win a Stanley Cup in 2010.

This feeling came with Franzen’s late season slump in which he only scored two goals in his final 20+ games, while Hossa was riding high with 25 points in his last 23 games. Franzen looked disinterested and lazy at times during that slump, and after seeing what he was capable of in a five goal game against earlier this season, it was extremely frustrating to watch.

But once again, the Mule is showing everyone why he earned that multi year extension with the Wings, he performs in the playoffs, while Hossa often fades into the background. Even last season, when the Hawks won the Cup, Hossa only had three goals and 12 assists in 22 games! With Detroit’s run ending in the second round, Franzen piled up six goals and 12 assists in only 18 games. In the 23 games played in 2008-09, when both were members of the Wings run to the Final, Hossa had 15 points, Franzen had 23.

So once again, the NHL has missed the opportunity to hand out severe punishment for acts that put other players in danger.

On Sunday, Raffi Torres leveled Brent Seabrook behind the Hawks’ net. Seabrook, who has a history of concussions, did return to the game, but will not be playing in tonight’s Game 4. Contact with the head. Check. Blindside hit. Check. Repeat offender. Check. In fact, this was Torres’ first game back from a four game suspension on a hit that wasn’t close to as bad. Suspension……..uncheck.

“Downie left his feet and launched himself at the head of his opponent and he came from a considerable distance, with speed and force, to deliver the check,”

Now I’m really confused. So the whole hooplah about blindside hits to the head goes out the window this year?! I’m not saying Downie’s was worse or less punishable than Torres’, but at least Lovejoy has the puck and begins to skate with it! Seabrook doesn’t even have a chance to touch it before being hammered by Torres.

As Darren Dreger points out in his Dreger Report today, obviously the players are far from “getting the memo” from the half-assed suspensions the league keeps giving out. Case in point: Torres’ first game back in action. Case in point: Steve Downie’s previous 30 game suspension on a similar play. Case in point: Chris Kunitz plays for the same damn team that Matt Cooke does. Case in point: there have already been FOUR suspensions in under a week of playoff hockey.

I think we can all agree that it’s only a matter of time before the Canucks finally do away with the defending Cup champion Blackhawks. Much of the media was fantasizing about a scenario where the Hawks’ weakened lineup would once again befuddle the mighty Canucks, but they’re just too good this year and Chicago has seemingly lost too much depth.

Tonight they will be facing elimination without Olympic defenseman Brent Seabrook, who is out with an “upper body injury” after the non suspendable hit from Raffi Torres. Good job NHL. If the Hawks were down 0-3 last season, I still think there would be a sense of hope within their locker room and fanbase. This year, their know losing this year is inevitable. In the dying minutes of Game 3, the normally rocking United Centre was eerily quiet.

The last time the Cup winner was swept in the first round was in 2003, when the Anaheim Mighty Ducks shocked the hockey world, sweeping the mighty Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks went on to the Stanley Cup Final that season.

Pavel Datsyuk put on a legendary performance during today’s afternoon Game 2 against Phoenix. With Henrik Zetterberg out of the lineup and Johan Franzen injured early in the first, Datsyuk literally took control of the game. His first period was capped off by the play above on definite Norris Trophy nominee, Keith Yandle. He could have easily had six or seven points by mid way through the second period if some of the Wings could have capitalized.